Water wheel



Dec. 25,1923. 11,473,65?

R. D. KELLY WATER WHEEL Filed Aug. 10 j ma WITNESS j fg l2 PatentedDec.. 25, i923..

UNET Tdfd RICHARD D. KELLY, OF THE DALLES, OREGON.

WATER WHEEL.

Application led August .10, 19,22.

T 0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, RICHARD DAVID KELLY, a citizen of the United States,residing at The Dalles, in the county of Vasco and State of Oregon, haveinvented a new and useful Water lVheel, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in submerged Water Wheels With avertical shaft and radially extending blades, said blades presenting abroad surface When mo-ving with the current and an edge When movingagainst the current.

The objects of my invention are First, to produce a Wheel Which movesentirely under Water and is therefore not affected by a rise in theWater level.

Second, to produce a Wheel which turns the blades automatically throughan angle of 90 degrees, so that one half of the total number of bladesreceives the full force of the current While the other half cuts edge-Wise through the opposing current.

Third, to produce a Wheel which can easily be lifted out of the Water,and therefore facilitates repair.

@ther objects and advantages are to be found in the construction andarrangement of parts as Will be described hereinafter.

attain these objects With the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing in Which:-

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the entire n'iechanism with part of thefoundation aud thrust bearing shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a section through Fig. 1 along the line 2&2.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The platform 1 may be supported on structural steel members 2 andconcrete foundations 3, or otherwise on piles driven into the river bed4. Centrally to the supporting members on the river bottom is a concreteslab 5 into which is embedded a Vertical shaft 6, said shaft extendingbeyond the upper surface of the platform. Concentrically to the shaft 6and also attached to the concrete slab 5 is a thrust bearing 7 whichfurnishes the support for a pipe sleeve 8. Said pipe sleeve isrotatively mounted in the platform and has attached to the upper end,above the platform, Whatever pulleys or gears 9, may be needed to drivethe desired machinery on the platform. Also attached to the pipe Sleeve8,

Serial No. 580,843.

but below the low Water level 10 is a hub 1l from which radiate the arms12 foi lthe blades 13. Said arms are rotatively mounted in the hub 11and retained therein by washers 14 and pins 15. Affixed to each armbetween the blade and the hub are two rectangular blocks 16 and 16 whichare set with their longitudinal axes at right angles to each other andperform a function akin to gear tooth and shoe combined.

A circular track 17 underneath the blocks is supported on standards 18on the concrete slab 5. A step at the outer periphery of said track isadapted to trip at the proper time the block nearest the blade, Whileanother step diametrically opposite but at the inner periphery trips theblock nearest to the hub.

Illustrating this operation by means of Fig. 2, the current is supposedto rotate the Water Wheel in the direction of the arrow 19. As the block16 approaches the step 2O on the track 17, said block is tripped from avertical rto a horizont-al position and continues to slide as a shoeWith the long edge on the circular track; the blade has thereby beenturned to a vertical position and is retained therein as long as theblock or shoe remains in gliding contact With the track. Arriving at thediametrically opposite side of the circular track, the step 21 trips theshoe 16, While the shoe 16 is clear off thetrack. and therefore able torotate through. an angle of 90 degrees. The blade 13 assumes ahorizontal position and cuts edge- Wise through the opposing current.The

steps 20 and 21 are cut slantingly to give e a better leverage on theshoe and to facili tate the rotation of the bladesaround the arm.

In case of repairs, the pipe sleeve With its attached blades can belifted out of the Water by means of suitable hoisting rigs, whereby theshaft 6 helps to keep the Wheel from swaying. After the repair is madethe shaft guides the pipe sleeve t0 a proper bearing, and besidesretains the surfaces of the bearing members in proper alinement dur-,ing the rotation.

This machine may be used to drive pumps for irrigation purposes or as apower plant for industrial purposes, and Will remain serviceable whenhigh Water forces the rearrangement or even discontinuance of otherWater Wheels. Y

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that my objects havebeen aeeomplished, and, though I have shown the preferred form oiconstruction I reserve to myself the right to make minor changesproviding I do not violate the spirit and principle of my invention.

I claim: v

In a Water Wheel, the combination of a platform, a foundation mountedunderneath the platform, a pipe sleeve rotating on the foundation andextending through the platform, arms radiating from the pipe sleeve andhaving an independent rotation around their axis1 blades mounted at theend of the arms, an inner shoe mounted on eaoh arm ywhereby the4 bladeis compelled to Change its relative position.

'Signed by me atPortland, Oregon, this 3rd day of August, 1922.

R. D. KELLY.

